We visited 3 gardens today on the way to Wellington: Paloma Garden, Greenhaugh Garden and Hlomo Hlomo.
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PALOMA GARDEN
When I first arrived at this garden I thought that it was a little strange. The owner is a cowboy type guy who didn’t even know how much land he had. He said his garden is 5 to 10 acres. I found out later that he owned 1500 acres of ranch land. His entrance fence was unusual and the topics of his plant collections were out of the ordinary:
This is a video of the Garden of Death:
Many plants are poisonous, toxic or a stimulant and he has gathered them here warning us not to touch them.
The Peony is toxic as well as Oleander, Hemlock, Deadly Nightshade, Kowhai, Euphorbia and others.
This is a cactus-like Euphorbia the sap of which is very toxic.
This is Euphorbia myrsinites which I had a personal encounter with and ended up almost blind for a day.
This is the most toxic plant in the world. It has killed millions of people all around the world. It is the sugarcane as anyone who has diabetes knows.
Every plant is labeled in his garden with a metal label:
Cactus and succulent garden:
Cycad garden:
Pot collection:
Across the driveway is another part of the garden that is completely different:
Palm collections, Orchid collections, Clivia collections, bamboo collections, Bromeliad collections:
And most unusual of all, a motorcycle collection:
All this collecting and work he does by himself. He is also writing a book. An amazing man!
GREENHAUGH GARDEN
We had lunch at the Greenhaugh garden:
The garden is 5 acres and the adjacent sheep farm is 15 acres. There are 5 full time gardeners now and less when the rush is off. The house was built in 1874.
There are several sculptures of African animals around the garden. Lynne and her husband, who was a high court judge, went on vacation to Africa and fell in love with Zimbabwe and its animals:
Lynne’s roses and her rose garden are exquisite:
Iris, Wisteria, Perennials:
Grandmother’s Bonnet, Columbine (Aquilegia cv.)
Geranium incanum
Siline flos-cuculi
A walk around the garden:
Aesculus carnea
Arctotis and Fleabane
HLOMO HLOMO
This family came from South Africa to New Zealand in 2001:
placeholder://Peaceful entry reflecting bowls:
Birch grove:
Bush track – walk in the canyon:
Lawns and Hedges:
Box Honeysuckle (Lonicera nitida)
Potager – extensive vegetable gardens behind house, espaliered apples and pears:
Labyrinth – a sculpture depicting the family’s move from South Africa to New Zealand with a spear going through the world:
The remembrance garden:
Japanese Snowball (Viburnum plicatum)
Breath of Heaven (Coleonema pulchellum)
Olearia liniata
Clematis ‘Multi Blue’
Euphorbia
Fleabane, Mexican Daisy (Erigeron karvinskianus)
New variety of Marguerite (Argyranthemum)
Tomorrow – Wellington Botanic Garden